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World’s First Canal Solar Plant in Gujarat

Tecoquest

The #Canal #Solar #Power Project is a project launched in #Gujarat, India, to use the 19,000-kilometer-long network of #Narmada #canals across the state for setting up solar panels to generate electricity. It was the first ever such project in India. This project has been commissioned by #SunEdison India.

The pilot project will generate 1 MW of clean energy per annum and also prevent evaporation of 9 million liters of water annually from the canal. The project virtually eliminates the requirement to acquire vast tracts of land and limits evaporation of water from the 750 meter long canals.

The engineering, procurement and construction contract for the project was awarded to Sun Edison at a cost of Rs 177.1 million. The pilot project was developed on a 750-meter stretch of the canal by Gujarat State Electricity Corporation Limited (#GSECL) with support from #Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Ltd (#SSNNL), which owns and maintains the canal network.

The cost per megawatt of solar power, in this case, is likely to be much less than the estimated Rs. 10-110 million, as the two banks of the canal will be used to cover the canal by installing solar power panel and the #government will not have to spend much on creating basic infrastructure, including land acquisition.

11,000 acres of land can be potentially conserved along with about 20 billion liters of water saved per annum.